1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to laser surgery and, more particularly, to an automated and integrated system including a laser device, an ultrasonic probe and a computer system for use in performing internal surgery. The computer system provides a display of tissue within the patient. The attending physician provides input into the computer with a light pen describing tissue to be irradiated. The computer system then controls both the duration and intensity of the laser burst to accomplish tissue destruction.
2. Description of the Related Art
The use of laser radiation to destroy certain types of structures and/or selected tissues has become increasingly prevalent in recent years. The laser radiation has the advantage that the intense heat generated by the laser can be focused quite precisely and can therefore be used for controlled destruction of a predetermined region of the body with minimal damage to the surrounding and/or connecting tissue. The use of laser radiation in surgical procedures can have the benefit that open-surgery on the patient can frequently be eliminated and the associated trauma avoided. The tissue destroyed by laser radiation can typically by removed from the interior of the body by normal bodily processes.
For example, in the urologic surgery, in which open surgery is not performed, electrocautery resection has been typically employed. However, advantages of the use of laser radiation replacing this type of surgical procedure has been documented, c.f. "Laser Photo-radiation in Urologic Surgery," by Joseph A. Smith, Jr. and John A. Dickson; the Journal of Urology; Vol. 31, April 1984, p. 631-635.
In using laser techniques in non-open surgery, the laser radiation, applied to the selected structure via a light pipe, can be guided either by a predetermined positioning apparatus such as is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,469,098 entitled, "Apparatus for and Method of Utilizing Energy to Excise Pathological Tissue," or can be guided by a cystoscope or light pipe in which the areas to be eradiated by the radiation can be identified by visual inspection such as are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,454,882 entitled, "Laser Apparatus for Utilizing Marking Laser for Triggering Operative Laser." While this technique is generally satisfactory for tumors located on the surface of internal tissues or structures and for resectioning small structures themselves, the removal of a larger internal structure, such as an entire prostate gland, the positioning of the laser light guide with respect to the selected structure becomes crucial to the success of the procedure.
A need has therefore been felt for apparatus and method for utilizing laser radiation in non-open surgical procedures that would permit precise definition of the region of tissue to be destroyed and can, in addition, provide region definition in real time.